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STRATFOR.com
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THE INTERNET SOURCE FOR GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE
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East Africa: Terrorism's Ties to Drugs
October 5, 2001
Summary
Seven Pakistanis and a Zambian en route to Europe were arrested recently in Uganda. The suspects are allegedly tied to Osama bin Laden and have also been linked to drug trafficking. Suspected terrorist networks in East Africa overlap with the drug trade from South Asia, making East Africa a vital source for information on funding sources for al Qaeda and the Taliban.
Analysis
Uganda's Joint Anti-Terrorism Taskforce arrested seven Pakistanis and a Zambian Sept. 29 in Entebbe, Uganda. The suspects -- thought to be both drug traffickers and members of Saudi exile Osama bin Laden's terrorism network -- were en route from Rwanda to Europe, The Post, a daily in Lusaka, Zambia, reported Oct. 2.
The arrests in Uganda are part of a region-wide law enforcement effort to sniff out possible terrorist networks. For the moment investigators are focusing on suspects with possible ties to bin Laden. Ample evidence, however, links the suspected terrorists to drug trafficking. These ties will lead the FBI and Interpol to combine the hunt for terrorists with investigations into regional drug-trafficking networks -- possibly uncovering a key to the financial resources of both bin Laden and Afghanistan's ruling Taliban.
Afghanistan produces an estimated 70 percent of the world's opium, and Afghan drug traders ship their product through a variety of routes. East Africa has become a key transit point for several reasons, including geographic proximity to South Asia, porous borders, long coast lines that are difficult to control and frequent international flights to Europe.
(The Rest of the Story)
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Monday, October 1, 2001
(c) 2001 Stratfor, Inc.
Dan
East Africa: Terrorism's Ties to Drugs . . .